Refugees: Is there room for a middle ground?
Data since 1950s show Americans have always been wary of refugees. A public opinion expert explains current attitudes toward Syrian refugees and what it means for building consensus on policy.
Academic rigor, journalistic flair
Refugees
Analysis and Comment
Should cybersecurity be a human right?
Recent developments at the United Nations and the G-20 suggest that the well-known human rights to privacy and freedom of expression may soon be formally extended to online communications.
Think you’re not having enough sex? Try being a senior in assisted living
While it may be a surprise for some, seniors still enjoy sex. But assisted living facilities may work to keep the older lovers apart in an effort to protect them.
Four ways to stay mentally fit if you’re struggling with the political climate
Millions took to protests after Donald Trump was elected, but others took to therapists' offices. Read why the election was harder on some than others, and things you can do to take care of yourself.
Why you should donate your data (as well as your organs) when you die
Most people know they can donate their organs after they pass away. But what about their medical data? For National Donor Day, we suggest countries create national databases of data donors.
When Trump’s tweets are angry, the mood of his followers darkens
A unique poll from Penn State’s McCourtney Institute for Democracy tracks how the nation is feeling.
What Plato can teach you about finding a soulmate
Romantic love is seen as the answer to life’s problems, when it could often be the start of many headaches and heartaches. So, what is true love?
Recovering from disasters: Social networks matter more than bottled water and batteries
Disaster preparations often focus on gear and logistics, but research in Japan after the 2011 earthquake and tsunami shows that strong social ties played a key role in helping communities rebound.
Why Tinder is so ‘evilly satisfying’
Data from swiping apps like Tinder are giving researchers a window into how dating and relationships could be changing.
Trump’s vow to ‘destroy’ Johnson Amendment could wreak havoc on charitable world
President Trump recently repeated his pledge to eliminate the 63-year-old law, which bans charities from engaging in political activities, at the National Prayer Breakfast.
Why politicians think they know better than scientists – and why that’s so dangerous
Scientists are concerned that politics will trump evidence in the new administration. A researcher of political psychology explains why these worries matter far beyond questions of science.
Trump wants to change Medicaid funding; could his ideas work?
President Trump has proposed a major funding shift for Medicaid, the joint federal-state program that pays for health care for about 75 million poor people. Would the safety net fray if he did so?
Does it matter if Trump doesn’t like economists?
President Trump downgraded the chair of the Council of Economic Advisers from its perch on the Cabinet. Should we care?
Scientist at work: Tracking muskoxen in a warming Arctic
How is rapid warming in the Arctic affecting animals that are adapted to cold? A wildlife biologist is using many techniques to find out, including stalking muskoxen in a polar bear costume.
Why you should date your best friend
Looking for a lifelong Valentine? Psychologists suggest taking a closer look at your best friend. The things we want in a good friend are many of the same things we expect from a romantic partner.
African-American GIs of WWII: Fighting for democracy abroad and at home
When war broke out, black Americans fought in segregated units to serve their country. The breath of freedom they experienced in Europe flamed the fight for equality when they returned home.
Why Trump needs the civil servants he wants to fire: Lessons from abroad
The Trump administration may do well to make a friend of the federal bureaucracy it's so intent on gutting, according to an expert who studies the role of civil servants in government.
Songs of worship: Why we sing to the Lord
Sacred music joins people in a collective expression - whether of joy, sorrow or protest.
What do gorilla suits and blowfish fallacies have to do with climate change?
Laser-like focus on a tiny, unimportant detail can mean you miss the gorilla in the room – a tactic climate change deniers use to cast doubt on the science.
Are the Grammys really about good music?
After winning his Grammy in 1996, Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder said, 'I don't think this means anything.' Was he right?
The US$100 trillion case for open borders
Opening borders is the easiest way to tackle global poverty and it would make already wealthy countries richer, too.
The stress of sitting in traffic can lead to more crime
Traffic wastes time, creates pollution and costs money. But can it also affect us psychologically? A new study suggests that unexpected traffic can increase the incidence of domestic violence.
Berkeley, Milo Yiannopoulos and the lessons of free speech
Can Facebook be sued for live-streaming suicides?
When birds go roaming: The mystery of avian irruptions
Allison Davis: Forgotten black scholar studied – and faced – structural racism in 1940s America
Joe Camel in a bottle: Alcohol companies fail to follow their own ad rules during the 2017 Super Bowl
Who is Betsy DeVos?
What Facebook Live means for journalism
Immigration ban
Trump loses appeal, but travel ban fight isn’t over yet
The court's reasoning suggests deep skepticism of Trump's position and spotlights the main issues for the further appeals that will surely follow.
Syrian refugees ‘detrimental’ to Americans? The numbers tell a different story
How a travel ban could worsen doctor shortages in US hospitals and threaten primary care
History shows Trump will face legal challenges to detaining immigrants
Immigration and crime: What does the research say?
The best legal arguments against Trump’s immigration ban
Trump’s immigration order is bad foreign policy
I’m a US doctor just back from Sudan, where hospitality from Muslims greeted me everywhere
Trump’s immigration ban: Will it undercut American soft power?
What’s gone wrong in the seven countries Trump included in his ban? Essential reads
Even before sanctuary cities, here’s how black Americans protected fugitive slaves
Fighting cancer
How man’s best friend is helping cancer treatment
Dogs are great companions, and they also are proving to be great research subjects for cancer. Here's how our canine friends are pointing to possible treatments in human cancer.
Immunotherapy: Training the body to fight cancer
Understanding genetic differences between breast cancer tumors is key to better treatment
Finding the causes of cancer is the first step to prevention
Melanoma: Taming a migratory menace
Stories are better than lectures at teaching us about health
Why we need to keep an eye on whether a blood infection in cattle is linked to breast cancer in humans
We have a vaccine for six cancers; why are less than half of kids getting it?
Misinformation
You are the new gatekeeper of the news
Before you share another article on Facebook, consider your responsibility to make sure what you post is true.
2017 isn’t ‘1984’ – it’s stranger than Orwell imagined
Trump isn’t lying, he’s bullshitting – and it’s far more dangerous
The challenge facing libraries in an era of fake news
Experts’ roundtable: The future of journalism in Trump’s America
Why do we fall for fake news?
Unbelievable news? Read it again and you might think it’s true
US-Mexico relations
US relationship with Mexico more bitter than sweet under Trump
Since World War II, the US and Mexico have successfully worked together on issues like trade and migration. If Trump refuses to treat Mexico as a partner, how bitter will the breakup be?
Black History Month
Research and Expert Database
Editors’ Picks
Should scientists engage in activism?
In the wake of the Flint water crisis and with a new notably anti-science president, U.S. scientists are reevaluating how to navigate the tension between speaking out and a fear of losing research funding.
Are you really anonymous online? Your friends on Twitter may give you away
You might think you're anonymous when you're browsing the web. But a new study shows that browsing history can often be tied to your real-world identity.
Music training speeds up brain development in children
Several brain regions engage in an amazing symphony to produce music. What then are the benefits of music training on a child?
Why time seems to fly – or trickle – by
Time is fixed, but people experience hours, months and days in very different ways. One researcher has spent decades exploring this universal phenomenon.
How timekeeping software helps companies nickel and dime their workers
If you think the hours you work are all converted directly into dollars, think again. There are a lot of ways employers can manipulate your time – some of which are legal, others highly questionable.
As Trump mulls another ‘reset’ with Russia, he should consider perils of Big Oil diplomacy
As Trump explores warmer ties to Russia, he'd be wise to brush up on the history of past resets and the role the oil industry played in each one. The results weren’t good.
Far beyond crime-ridden depravity, darknets are key strongholds of freedom of expression online
The darknet, like the open internet, is not immune from illegal activity. But many darknet users are there in search of 'hacker ethics' values such as privacy and free speech.
Why so many people regain weight after dieting
Weight loss often leads to declines in our resting metabolic rate – how many calories we burn at rest – which makes it hard to keep the weight off. So why does weight loss make resting metabolism go down?
Circadian rhythms and the microbiome: Disrupting daily routine of gut microbes can be bad news for whole body
New research suggests our gut microbes have their own circadian rhythms that in turn influence our organ functions. Is this an explanation for how disrupting our daily patterns can cause health problems?
How can we predict the hottest year on record when weather forecasts are so uncertain?
For the third consecutive year, it's the hottest year ever. A climate scientist explains how these predictions are made and why they're completely different from forecasting the weather.
Rural America matters to all Americans
Are you part of the 86 percent of Americans who do not live in rural America? Here's why Trump's choice to lead the USDA matters to you.
Staying politically neutral is more dangerous for companies than you think
Companies historically have avoided taking stands on contentious issues, but new research suggests consumers punish businesses that don't stand up for their core values.
Evidence from states shows why Trump’s brand of Carrier-style dealmaking won’t work
States have been using tax breaks and other incentives like the kind Trump dangled before Carrier for years. There's little evidence they work, and in fact they may lead to widening inequality.
Getting a scientific message across means taking human nature into account
Quirks of human psychology can pose problems for science communicators trying to cover controversial topics. Recognizing what cognitive science knows about how we deal with new information could help.
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